Romans 12: 1-8 (NRSV)
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Chapter 12I appeal to you therefore, brothers and sisters, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship. Verse 2Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your minds, so that you may discern what is the will of God-what is good and acceptable and perfect. Verse 3For by the grace given to me I say to everyone among you not to think of yourself more highly than you ought to think, but to think with sober judgment, each according to the measure of faith that God has assigned. Verse 4For as in one body we have many members, and not all the members have the same function, Verse 5so we, who are many, are one body in Christ, and individually we are members one of another. Verse 6We have gifts that differ according to the grace given to us: prophecy, in proportion to faith; Verse 7ministry, in ministering; the teacher, in teaching; Verse 8the exhorter, in exhortation; the giver, in generosity; the leader, in diligence; the compassionate, in cheerfulness.
Devotion
I am asking you to show up! Simply put, that's the heart of St. Paul's appeal as he calls each and every one of us to present our bodies—our whole selves—to the mercies of God's grace. I imagine Paul was especially aware of believers as individual bodies, but also as members of the larger body of Christ because of his own experience of trying to do all things well. Paul's calling and gifts, he learned, were to do—not everything—but certain things. The calling was to preach and teach for the sake of people like us, ones who have also been welcomed into the family of God by adoption. Paul encourages all of God's people to celebrate the variety of the gifts which each of us has been given. This is our spiritual worship—teaching people teach; preaching people preach; serving people serve; loving people love. With minds renewed by God we show ourselves to be the ones whom God made us to be. We are unique persons with unique gifts who show up and do "our thing" for the sake of others.
Prayer
Blessed are you, O God, giver of all good gifts and maker of all your people. Send us forth in peace, knowing we are gifted people with good gifts to share. Amen.